How To Clean And Deodorize Hardwood Floors? The Easy Guide

Hardwood floors can often develop a musty smell, especially in areas deprived of ventilation and sunlight.

This can be very concerning as your hardwood floors might start to get stinky, and their color can also darken.

You can use soap and water, commercial products for cleaning, and bleach or baking soda for deodorizing hardwood floors. Both of these work well and will surely provide you with the results you are looking for.

However, there are various other methods to achieve this goal so keep on reading and you’ll find out.

How To Clean And Deodorize Hardwood Floors? | Best Cleaning And Deodorizing Methods

Here are the ultimate hardwood cleaning and deodorizing methods :

Cleaning Methods

The Infamous Floor Cleaner

1. ½ cup baking soda
2. ½ cup of Water
3. 1 tablespoon white vinegar
4. 1 tablespoon olive oil

If you want to clean your floor naturally, you can’t have a better This all-in-one stain removal solution will restore your wooden items’ spotless look.

Mix these ingredients into a solution and spray it over the stained area. Scrub with a clean cloth and wipe with damp kitchen paper.

Besides, vinegar is a natural disinfectant and deodorant, so your wooden floors will not get good riddance from stinky smells.

I have also written a whole article on disinfecting hardwood floors naturally that you should read today!

Soap And Water

Firstly, you need to get rid of dirt, dust, and pet hair that might be present on the hardwood floor.

You can use a broom or a vacuum on the hardwood setting to clean all the remnants from the floor.

In a bucket, combine a few tablespoons of water and a few droplets of dish soap. You can also use Murphy’s oil soap or pine sol for hardwood floors.

You need to stir slowly until there are only a few faint bubbles of froth visible.

Once you’ve made the solution, you need to immerse your mop into the solution, then wring it out, so it is only moist.

Afterward, scrub your floor with the brush in circular motions and clean the floor completely by rinsing off debris, applying pressure until damp, and then repeating.

Once the floor has dried you can wipe it with a dry towel. Besides, if you want a pleasant smell, you can use scented soap or follow the other deodorizing methods mentioned ahead. You can also use Clorox wipes to clean hardwood floors.

Use A Bleach

The beauty and luster of wood floors highlight the best features of your living area. It might be challenging to restore flooring that has become dull or hazy.

It’s conceivable, but with the right information, your attempts to restore the appearance of your wooden flooring could worsen things.

The answer to your dark wood floor is straightforward: dissolve and eliminate the problematic layer, then use the right cleaning methods to restore the floor’s appearance.

The buildup that cleaners leave behind is the main cause of hazy floors. Several choices are available, depending on how serious the issue is:

Utilize an ammonia solution. To dissolve the buildup that’s creating the cloudiness of your floors, mix 2.5 dl (1 cup) of ammonia with 4 liters (1 gallon) of water.

Use this solution carefully to prevent further harm to the floor from too much water.

Sand and refinish your floors to restore them to their original condition. It is a more aggressive method.

The incorrect cleaning method is the most frequent cause of foggy wood flooring.

Verify the manufacturer’s suggestions for preserving your floor by contacting them. Without this knowledge, use a cleaner made specifically for cleaning wood floors.

Also Read: Will Swiffer Ruin Hardwood Floors? The Truth Revealed

Bona Hardwood Floor Cleaning Spray

Use this pH-balanced cleaning product from Bona to maintain the best possible condition for hardwood floors. It is easy to use and has a nice fragrance to deodorize your hardwood floors.

Spray, wipe, and watch as the quick-drying solution effortlessly removes debris, dirt, and stuck-on grime.

Despite the brightness, the solution won’t cause floors to become slick or look murky and dreary.

It also doesn’t leave behind residue that might make floors sticky. The cleaner also qualifies as an EPA Cleaner Choice product, demonstrating that it adheres to strict environmental and human health standards.

Don’t forget to go through a detailed guide on the best bona cleaners for hardwood floors.

Bona Pro Concentrated Cleaning Solution

Bona Pro Hardwood Concentration is a non-toxic, pH-neutral wooden floor cleaner with a recipe designed for professionals.

It can create seven liters of cleaner from one gallon of concentrate. One gallon of diluted concentrate should last around a year based on a 500-floor clean once weekly.

Compared to competing cleaners, Bona Pro Concentration is approved by more flooring manufacturers.

It is intended for all non-waxed, polyurethane, aluminum oxide, or acrylic prefinished wood, bamboo, and cork flooring in the home and commercial settings.

It poses no threat to you, the environment, or the floor. The VOC concentration is under 3%, and there is hardly any smell.

Bona Free & Simple Hardwood Floor Cleaner

Bona’s Free & Easy spray cleaner is best for people with allergic reactions or other sensitivities because it doesn’t include any odors, colors, or other nasty chemicals.

Our analyzer, with both a steam mop and a microfiber dust mop, easily cleans dirt, grime, and scuffs.

With just one spray, we could cover a large surface area, and there was no trace of residue after cleaning.

It is a fantastic choice if you’re looking for a convenient, odorless, safe product that eliminates allergies.

You May Also Like: What Is A Safe Disinfectant For Hardwood Floors?

Deodorizing Methods

Having pets or children in the house might lead to bad odors on the floors such as urine. Hence, it is crucial to clean and deodorize the floors timely.

There are many ways to deodorize your hardwood floors; some are easy while others require some effort. Depending on how bad the smell is, you can choose which remedy suits you the most.

Baking Soda

Baking soda is a proven ingredient to remove bad odors and stains. You can use it safely on sealed hardwood floors; however, it will require some attention if your floor is not sealed.

Apply some baking soda to the affected area but make sure you don’t overdo it.

Leave it overnight and follow up by vacuuming or mopping and the odors will be removed.

Make A Hydrogen Peroxide Solution

The main purpose of using hydrogen peroxide on hardwood floors is to remove stains, while deodorizing is merely a side effect.

Wood is a highly porous substance, and therefore, it retains the odorant molecules in addition to the pigments that it captures. The region may still have an offensive odor even if the stains are removed.

Odorant molecules are tiny, flammable particles that get inside the wood and evade the cleansing power of standard cleaners.

Due to its tiny molecular size, hydrogen peroxide works with and eliminates these particles.

Since hydrogen peroxide is a mild oxygenating bleach, you can combine 1 cup of the cleaning-grade, 35 percent hydrogen peroxide solution with 1 gallon of water to create a safe floor-cleaning fluid for everyday use.

A gallon of hot water can be combined with one or two teaspoons of sodium percarbonate as an alternative.

It is simple to create a more concentrated peroxide solution using sodium percarbonate, which produces hydrogen peroxide when combined with water.

Check the label before buying one of these products. It is the primary component in many industrial oxygen bleach products.

Sand The Floor

Sanding may prove to be exceptionally helpful in removing odors from an unfinished floor.

Light sanding can allow you to reopen clogged pores and allow for better ventilation in them causing the smell to slowly leave the surface.

Once you’ve sanded the floor properly, make sure to seal it to prevent any further inconveniences and to lock the wood’s original health.

Use Fragranced Cleaners/ Odor Removers

Perhaps the easiest way to get rid of a stinky smell on the floor is to use a scented product made for better fragrance and appeal.

You need to wash and dry the affected area with a mop and towels before you attempt to use this product.

Once the area has been cleaned, apply the product to the affected area and let it stay for the recommended time before you remove it.

Why Does My Hardwood Floor Smell?

The most common reason for hardwood floors to smell is spillage of food/drinks or urine. If you have kids and/ or pets at home, it is quite possible that you face the issue of stinky floors.

Kids often spill food and beverages on the floors while pets can urinate on your floors causing them to smell.

Besides, if your floor is not sealed, there is a high possibility that the urine/ drink will settle in the wood’s surface causing it to stink even more.

How Long Does It Take For Hardwood Floors To Stop Smelling?

It takes around 30 days on average for hardwood floors to stop smelling.

However, it depends on various factors such as the amount of penetration on the floor, the affected area, and the exposure of the affected area to sunlight.

To make it go away quicker, you need to treat the place properly. Moreover, if you want to add other measures to your routine, make sure you allow ventilation in the room and make way for sunlight.

Besides, using fans or heaters can also prove to be helpful in removing the smell.

Is There A Way To Get Urine Smell Out Of Hardwood Floors?

Baking soda and hydrogen peroxide work best against urine smells on hardwood floors. Their alkaline properties neutralize the acidic nature of urine and help in reducing the stinky smell.

The proper method of using both of these is mentioned above. Check out the detailed guide on how long should Hydrogen Peroxide sit on hardwood floors.

How Do I Get Rid Of Musty Smells On The Hardwood Floor?

Soap and water are enough to remove the musty smells in your hardwood floors. However, you can also use baking soda if you want to.

Follow the above-mentioned steps to ensure that you treat the floor properly and the smell is removed.

Factors To Keep In Mind For Hardwood Floor Cleaning

With a simple spray, you can transform your favorite area of your house into the most stressful. Let’s get into the maintenance mistakes you shouldn’t make with wood floors.

Prevent Moisture From Locking In

It’s never a good idea to have stagnant water on the hardwood floors. Moisture seeps into the wood’s crevices and between the floorboards because of spills, cubes, or even excessively wet mop heads.

It will lead the wood to blister or warp over time.

Steam cleaning is also not a great idea as heat, which ultimately turns into moisture, can saturate wood similarly to how stagnant water may do so.

For acrylic, tile, or laminate floors alone, never use steam cleaning. Hence, If your hardwood floor is not sealed, make sure you never try this.

Clean Spills Immediately

Anyone with kids will understand that spills happen frequently. The deadliest enemies of your wood floor are sippy cups that leak or cereal dishes that fly through the air.

If a spill occurs (that’s okay, they happen in life), clean it up immediately. That includes cubes that drop out of the freezer, muddy dog claw marks, and muddy footwear.

Explore: What Is The Cheapest Way To Clean Hardwood Floors?

Use the Proper Cleaning Supplies

The effects of paste waxed and lacquer treatments on wood floors are more negative than positive. They strip the wood of its polyurethane, which can even render the floor slick and hazardous.

Avoid Using Heavy Machinery

To prevent harming your wood floors, switch to an interior hard-brush broom from an outdoor one.

Similar to how a floor cleansing machine designed for harder surfaces could harm your wood forever.

PH Level

Choose a detergent with a PH of approximately 7. Anything lower is appropriate for your wood floors, while anything higher includes too much alkaline for your multipurpose surfaces.

Use a Dustpan and a Broom

It’s crucial to sweep frequently. If you stick to this schedule, your wood floors will only have time to accumulate filth and grime.

A simple broom and dustpan are effective, but for even better results, we advise using a Sweeper.

Its wet cloth dissolves filth and traps it for an excellent clean, while its dry cloth contains ridges that fit into the creases in your floor and trap and lock dirt and hair.

Use a Vacuum Cleaner

Also, think about vacuuming a minimum of once every week. Use the hard floor setting on your vacuum if it has one for the strongest suction.

On the other hand, utilizing the brush roll setting might cause your floors to scratch, which is not good.

Use a Microfiber Mop

Look for a mop with a dusting agent that resembles microfiber for cleaning with dust and dirt. Microfibers are made of very soft synthetic strands that can absorb dirt and grime without leaving any scratches.

Bottom Line

Caring for your hardwood floor is extremely important if you want it to last a lifetime. Routine cleaning is the best way to maintain your hardwood’s health and prevent unwanted damage or untimely wear and tear.

If you want to know an ideal cleaning routine for hardwood floors, I have written an in-depth guide on how often should you clean hardwood floors that I highly encourage you to read.

Avoid dragging any pieces over the floor since this could result in significant harm. Use carpets in entranceways and other high-traffic areas.

Follow this routine, and you will find your hardwood floors in the best condition possible for years to come.